


Paradise Lost

by MilkyRabbit



Series: Exodus [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: EXODUS AU, Gen, Not Beta Read, super powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-03-30 02:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3918664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkyRabbit/pseuds/MilkyRabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their powers resurfaced again, the remaining 10 must reunite to find the only thing that can restore balance in the world, the El Dorado. But with the red forces targeting the Tree of Life, will they be able to reach the El Dorado in time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I. Kai

 

He locked himself in his apartment for a day. Everything was completely messed up. He had his powers back. He’s being followed. He doesn’t have any idea what’s happening. He wished he could return to his old life. Not his life as Kai, but his life as Jongin. The Jongin who would only worry if he got the choreography right or not. The Jongin who would visit his older sister and her husband every day. The Jongin who spent his youth being happy and dancing day in and day out.

But that wasn’t him now. Even if he is using his birth name now, he feels more like Kai than he does Jongin. That was a reason why he didn’t return to Seoul. Seoul was Jongin’s home. He was a stranger who didn’t belong there.

He left Jongin behind when he assumed his responsibilities as Kai. Not once has he learned of what happened to his family back at Seoul. At first, he left them because the red forces could have harmed them. He could have returned when he lost his powers, but that was just too hard. What would his family do to him? They found out about his powers when Kris and Junmyeon recruited him and told him about his mission. They would probably never treat him the same way ever again.

The more he thought about it, the more it made him sad. His eldest sister was a few months away from giving birth to his niece. She would have been 3 by now. He already got his scholarship in Seoul’s most prestigious dance academy. Now his future was ruined and he’s still on the run.

He was brought back to reality when he heard someone pounding the door. He was surprised, it was around 1 in the morning. He thinks it was that stalker of his. He kept quiet to throw the stalker off. Maybe that stalker would think he isn’t in his apartment. But, stalkers wouldn’t knock on doors…Would they?

“Jongin! Jongin! It’s Sehun! Open the door!” He heard Sehun yell through the banging on the door. Jongin hastily got up and unlocked the door. He saw an exhausted Sehun. His hair was disheveled. He was as pale as a sheet of paper.

Sehun entered the room, dropped his bad, and plopped down on Jongin’s bed. He took deep breaths before he even started talking to his old friend.

“Sehun. What happened to you?” Jongin was concerned. It was hard to imagine what could have made Sehun like this.

Sehun wasn’t relaxed at all. “The red forces are back…”

Jongin sunk down to the ground. He couldn’t believe it. After all they’ve gone through and all the sacrifices that were made, the red forces were still alive. They’ve lost Kris, Luhan, and Chanyeol to this. The Tree of Life, where was it?

“This is hopeless, isn’t it?” The younger one asked. Jongin looked up. Sehun was still on his bed. He was looking up at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “The red forces are back and we’re powerless. But hey, if we die, at least we wouldn’t be alone. Minseok hyung is joining the party.” Sehun gave out a dry, humorless laugh.

“Sehun…” Jongin said.

The younger turned his head and looked at him. “What?”

Jongin stood up and snapped his fingers. He disappeared from his current position, only leaving behind a cloud of smoke. He reappeared sitting beside Sehun. The smoke of his reappearance added to the earlier one and made the room hazy.

Sehun looked at him with huge eyes. “What the actual f-” Before the younger man can finish, Jongin cut in.

“I got my powers back. I don’t know how or why. I just got them back.” He admitted. If the red forces were returning and his powers were back…

“Sehun, twirl your fingers around.” He commanded the younger one.

“What?”

“Do that thing where you make a mini tornado on your fingers. Just do it.”

Sehun didn’t argue back, which was rather odd. He complied with Jongin’s orders and started twirling his fingers around slowly. Gusts of wind were circulating on top of his fingers. The smoke made the mini tornado more evident. Sehun dropped his hand and just gapped at what he has done.

“M-my powers…They’re back.” He gasped. Sehun’s phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and quickly answered it.

“Minseok hyung?”

Jongin couldn’t pick up the conversation between the elder and the younger.

“Ah yeah. Okay. We’ll be on our way.” The call disconnected and Sehun put his phone back in his pocket.

“So Jongin…We need to pick up Minseok hyung from the airport.”

* * *

 In the Taxi going to Heathrow, Sehun narrated to Jongin what had happened since a few days ago. He talked about the kids he encountered in Edinburgh and the red forces closing in on him. He told him about how random memories of Kris and Luhan started flooding into his mind as soon as the kids looked at him.

“After that, Edinbrugh went dark and I ran. I had to get my stuff because all my findings are there. Also, my stuff’s expensive so I wouldn’t just leave it in Edinbrugh.”

Jongin scoffed at Sehun. “Oh Sehun’s priorities.”

Sehun shot him a nasty glare and both boys started laughing. They really did miss each other’s company during the months of separation. They can see the cab driver’s unamused expression from the mirror. He must have been tired of hearing straight Korean for the past 20 minutes.

“I got on a train to London, and wouldn’t you know it, I accidentally got on the train that had two stops so it took me 7 hours to get here.” Sehun frowned.

Jongin couldn’t help but laugh at Sehun. The trip to Edinburgh would usually take 4 hours to get to London. Sehun shot his another glare but didn’t join in on the laughs. He was clearly bitter about his train ride.

“So, during the ride, Minseok hyung called me and asked me where I was. He didn’t ask why or anything. He just said he’s going where ever I was. And now, here we are picking up hyung from Berlin.”

The cab stopped when they arrived at Heathrow.

“Here we are. That would be £45.” The driver said. Jongin handed him the money and said a quick thank you in English to the driver.

“Your English though…” Sehun sneered. Jongin ignored Sehun’s remarks. He was proud of how much his English has improved since he started living in London.

* * *

 They waited at the pick-up area for Minseok. It would be really easy to miss Minseok in the crowd. Even if Minseok was older than the two by 4 years, he was much shorter. Too make things worse, he even looks like a little kid.

After a while, Sehun’s phone rang again. He answered it and started waving his hand up in the air. Jongin immediately sees Minseok walking towards them. Minseok looked different from the last time they saw each other.

Minseok was definitely skinnier. His cheekbones looked much more prominent. The elder had dyed his hair and styled it differently. As soon as Minseok reached them and began greeting them, Jongin covered his nose.

Minseok’s breath reeked of alcohol. It was a miracle that their hyung was able to get on a plane and not get held behind by the security.

“What took you so long? A trip from Berlin is at least 2 hours.” Sehun questioned. Jongin knew that Sehun had studied flight trips and the cities he goes to.

Minseok sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look. This might seem strange…But I think I got my powers back.”

Both boys didn’t react. “I accidentally caused a freak snow storm in Berlin and it delayed my flight for hours.”

“Actually hyung, we don’t find it weird at all.” Jongin smiled. Minseok looked at both of them oddly. “We got our powers back as well.”

“What?” Minseok’s eyes went big. “Since when? Both of you better explain it to me and don’t leave out any details.”

Jongin had to endure another taxi ride full of Sehun explaining to Minseok what happened. Sehun had mentioned that Minseok was a bit intoxicated when he was in Berlin so he had to re-explain what he, Jongdae, Yixing were researching about.

Minseok’s side of the story was a bit shaky. Unfortunately, their hyung was drunk prior to getting his powers back. He recalled drinking a shot of Jägermeister before he passed out and woke up to static from his TV. He said he saw an image of something horrible.

“Can you tell us what it was?” Jongin asked. Minseok didn’t answer him. He went back to how when he was shocked back into his senses, he ran for the airport. He called Sehun, ran again, and then it started snowing hard.

“I’m sure the static was caused by the red forces. That image…It’s engraved into my memory now. I can’t forget it.” He sighed. Minseok faced Jongin, who was trying his best to stay awake until they reached his apartment.

“Jongin…you said you got your powers back. How did you get them back exactly?” Minseok questioned him. Sehun also looked at Jongin. The boy forgot that he hasn’t mentioned anything about it to the two of them.

“I was being followed by someone yesterday. That person followed me around the city. I freaked out and accidentally teleported back into my apartment.” He felt uneasy because of that memory.

“I’m just making a guess Jongin but…maybe that person was being controlled by the red forces?” Minseok said.

Sehun spoke up. “Maybe the red forces made our powers come back.”

Both Minseok and Jongin kept quiet. Were the red forces playing with them?

* * *

 They all thought about what Sehun said when they reached Jongin’s apartment. Minseok didn’t bring anything but the clothes on his back and his cellphone to London. When Sehun started teasing him about that, Minseok just shrugged it off and said it wasn’t that important to bring his things with him if he wanted to survive. That garnered a laugh from Jongin who still hasn’t gotten over Sehun’s ‘priorities’.

They turned on the small television in Jongin’s living room. Sehun started channel surfing, he hardly found anything in British TV that exciting. Minseok made himself some coffee from the tiny instant packets that Sehun gave him. Jongin tried to sleep. They needed to think what their next move is.

After a few minutes of sleeping, Sehun was screaming for him to get up. “Jongin! Hey Jongin! Wake up!”

Jongin slowly opened his eyes, rubbed them, and yawned. “What is it?”

He saw what was on TV. It was a news report about a fire in Arizona. He read the captions at the bottom. The source of the fire was unknown.

“Jongin, translate it. I’m interested in it.” Sehun commanded. He was in the position to argue until he heard what the reporter said.

“Fire fighters have found a man in the fire. We don’t know the extent of the man’s injuries yet. The paramedics are not releasing any statements.” The reporter said. The scene switched from that of a forest with dying flames to a basic news station. Jongin started translating it for Minseok and Sehun. The reporter suddenly said something that caught Jongin’s ear.

“News just in. The man is reportedly called Chanyeol Park. I repeat the man’s name is Chanyeol Park. No other information has been found other than he is from South Korea and he was found unconscious in the middle of the flames.”

“Jongin. What did she say?” Minseok asked. He noticed Jongin’s expression as soon as he heard the latter report.

“Chanyeol…” He muttered. Both Sehun and Minseok looked at him and waited for what he has to say.

“Chanyeol’s….alive.”

Sehun quickly grabbed Jongin by the shoulders. “Stop joking around Jongin! That isn’t funny. He’s dead and you shouldn’t joke about that.” He forgot how sensitive the topic was to Sehun.

“Sehun, I’m telling the truth.” He admitted. Minseok stared at the younger boys. He didn’t try to stop them. He just sat there, deep in thought.

“If our powers are back, it’s safe to assume that the others’ powers have returned as well. If Chanyeol’s alive and he was in a forest fire, he might not be injured. And…” He took a deep breath before continuing. “If he’s alive…there’s a chance Kris and Luhan are as well.”

“How can you be so sure that is Chanyeol hyung? They never even showed any pictures.” Sehun growled. As soon as the youngest said that, a picture of Chanyeol, most probably from his drivers’ license was flashed on the screen. It was undeniably Chanyeol. Everything from the ears, the eyes, and the facial features confirmed that it was Chanyeol who was found in that forest fire.

Sehun lets go of Jongin’s shoulders and slumps down. They were all tired from the long day that they had. From the moment their powers resurfaced to the sudden discovery that Chanyeol had escaped the maze, they were worn out by all the events that had happened.

In the spur of the moment, Sehun took his phone out and started texting. When he put it back down he looked at the other two.

“I just texted the others… We’re meeting up in Arizona.”

Jongin fell on his bed and stretched like a cat. The day had overwhelmed everyone but they had to move past that. They’ll get to Chanyeol and they’ll reunite again.


	2. Chapter 2

II. Baekhyun

Baekhyun hopped on the first cab to Marseilles. He didn’t care if it was an expensive ride, he just needed to get to him. It took nearly 3 hours to get there. He could see why Junmyeon took Marseilles as his new home. If Baekhyun took Lyon for its perpetual lights, Junmyeon took it because it was a coastal city. The whole place smelled like sea breeze, something Junmyeon loved back then. Then again, Sehun did say that Junmyeon fell into a deep depression. It must have felt like torture to live in Marseilles because it was a constant reminder of his powers. How could have Junmyeon lived if water would trigger his depression even more?

Baekhyun asked everyone in town if they knew a Korean guy by the name of Kim Junmyeon. He showed them Junmyeon’s picture from his phone. They all frowned and told him that they haven’t ever seen a guy like that. His search went on for hours. It only ended when he met an old woman who told him that she would leave food for Junmyeon who lived in the abandoned town at least half an hour away from Marseilles.

It was almost 7 when he reached the abandoned town and he was starting to get sleepy. He regrets being jetlagged. The stress filled day didn’t make anything better.

The town had a creepy vibe to it. Dirty old brick houses with broken windows, overgrown grass and weeds, graffiti on some walls. He entered each house and tried his best not to get freaked out. Everything was dusty and deserted.

He didn’t find Junmyeon in any of the houses. Each of the houses just greeted him with its darkness. 2 hours passed and the exhaustion was starting to kill him. He took his phone out and clicked on Junmyeon’s name. It was a dumb idea but it was an idea none the less.

“It’s worth a shot.” He said to himself. He just hoped that Junmyeon didn’t change his phone number yet. He heard a ringing sound in the house nearby. He didn’t enter that one yet. He ran to it and only saw Junmyeon’s phone on the table. This house was cleaner and a bit homelier than the other houses, but it was still as depressing as the others. “Hyung….where are you?” He mumbled as he reached for the phone.

Someone tapped on his shoulder. His first reaction was obvious. Baekhyun let out a high pitched scream before he even turned around. Another scream was followed after that. He accidentally frightened the other person. He recognized that scream from anywhere. He looked back and saw Huang Zitao. The boy looked frightened and exhausted and Baekhyun honestly wasn’t expecting him to be there at all.

“Tao. What are you doing here?” He asked before pulling him into a hug.

“Hyung…I got my powers back and I-I wanted to see Suho hyung. I-It’s just…He might know what to do.” He said. Baekhyun looked at him with shocked eyes. He wasn’t expecting Tao to get his powers back as well.

“Hyung? What’s wrong?” The Chinese boy asked. Baekhyun looked up (he hates the fact that the younger ones were much taller than him) and smiled.

“He told us that it’s Junmyeon now, not Suho.” He didn’t want to stress Tao out. Even if Tao was strong and his powers were really efficient, the boy would easily be frightened.

He broke out of the hug and stared at their leader’s phone. “I’ll ask you how you know Junmyeon hyung’s here later. But now we have to find him. Come on!”

Tao followed Baekhyun like a puppy. Baekhyun went on about how he went through all the houses and found nothing. “Did you check the clearings?” Tao suggested.

Baekhyun chuckled a bit at Tao’s incorrect pronunciation of the sentence and jokingly repeated the sentence, which earned him a glare from the younger one. “No. I haven’t checked it out.”

They made their way to the forest. The sun was starting to set but the forest was completely dark from the trees. Baekhyun decided that it was best to use his powers before he or Tao can freak out. He produced a small beam of light from his palm, like a flashlight.

“Hyung…your powers….” Baekhyun grinned. “It’s back. I know. Let’s find Junmyeon hyung first.”

* * *

 

The night became colder and darker. Both men didn’t wear clothes that were thick enough to bear with the cold. They were starting to get worried about their leader at this point.

“Do you think Junmyeon hyung’s freezing right now?” Tao asked. His hands were in the pockets of his coat and the neck of his sweater was covering the lower part of his face.

“I don’t know. Sehun said he hardly cares about himself now… We have to find him.” Baekhyun tried not to care about the cold. He wanted to get to Junmyeon before anything bad happened. “Tao, can you go ahead of me? Can you try finding him alone?”

“What?” The younger was obviously scared to go alone. “I can’t believe I’m doing this but…Tao. You need to stop time the second I make a huge burst of light. Then you have to find Junmyeon. Comeback and show me where.”

It took a while to convince him but he eventually did. Baekhyun was hesitant about the light. He didn’t know if he could produce a lot of light or if he produced to much that they would be caught by civilians. It has been months since he last used his powers. He had no idea how it came back. He only reacted out of shock when it came back. Hand lights were the simplest but to make a huge burst after such a long time…He didn’t know if he could do it.

He took a deep breath. He needed to concentrate. He needed to be serious. As soon as he breathed out light enveloped his body. It wasn’t the subtle orbs that fluttered around him. He was like a star. He was bursting with light. It was less than a second later when Tao grabbed his arm. The lights disappeared and everything was back to normal.

There they were. Tao and Junmyeon both soaking wet. Junmyeon was unconscious and on the ground. “I found hyung underwater. I know I was supposed to come back and get you but…” He motions towards Junmyeon and kneels down in front of him. Baekhyun follows suit. He could see Junmyeon’s chest rising and falling, which was a good sign. Junmyeon got his powers back. His powers kept him alive and didn’t allow him to drown.

“We have to get him somewhere warm. We cou-” Tao was cut off when they heard the sound of someone coughing. Junmyeon’s eyes fluttered open. He sat up and looked at the two younger men with him. “Zitao…Baekhyun...Why are you guys here? How did you find me?” He asked.

Tao wasted no time in hugging their leader. Junmyeon was back on the ground after being tackle hugged by the younger one. “Hey Tao! I think Junmyeon needs some space to breathe and I also think you two need to dry off.”

Tao got off Junmyeon and bowed to the elder. “Sorry hyung. I was worried.” Junmyeon gave him a faint smile. Baekhyun knew that his leader wasn’t exactly happy to see them. “Come on Junmyeon hyung, let’s get you to somewhere warm. We’re going to ask you some things.”

Junmyeon raised his hand towards Tao. The water on his clothes, hair, and body was pulled out and dropped on the ground, leaving him dry. “Thanks hyung. Why don’t you do that to yourself?” Junmyeon immediately frowned after that question.

“I don’t deserve it Tao. I really don’t.”

“Don’t say that hyung!” Baekhyun growled. “Don’t ever say that! Hyung, we care about your wellbeing. I know, you’re not over what happened to Yifan, Luhan, and Chanyeol.” His felt a lump form in his throat as he said his dead friends’ names. “Yeah, no one’s over that at all. But, you can’t beat yourself up because of that. I know, you think that it’s your fault for leading us into that maze, but it’s not. We would have done that because it’s our duty. And you’re the ones who got us into doing this. Yeah, we may not be with our families but at least we’re alive and they’re alive. I couldn’t imagine a life where all of us, even our families, would be dead because of the red forces. Now stop it Junmyeon!”

Both of them stared at Baekhyun after his outburst. Byun Baekhyun who was usually known for his jokes and mood making scolding their leader out of care was really different.

“Dry yourself first Junmyeon. We have to talk.”

* * *

 

It took a few minutes to trek back to Junmyeon’s house. Junmyeon had told them about how he got his powers back and planned to commit suicide in the very pool Tao found him in.

“I thought that maybe the water didn’t come from me. So…I tried to drown myself. But it didn’t work and I gave up and just stayed in the pool since…I don’t even know how long.”

Baekhyun clenched his fist the whole time. He couldn’t bear hearing Junmyeon be this pitiful. Tao must have sensed how uneasy the elder was and put a hand on his shoulder. The rest of the walk should have been silent if it wasn’t for Baekhyun’s phone ringing.

“Who is it?” Tao asked. Baekhyun sees Sehun’s name and slides open his phone.

“Sehun. He just texted. Wait.”

_Hyung. Please go to Arizona as soon as possible. Chanyeol. He’s alive and he’s in Arizona._

Baekhyun gasped and droped his phone. This wasn’t true. Chanyeol couldn’t be alive. He was stuck in the maze with Yifan and Luhan and he had already accepted that fact.

Tao quickly picks up Baekhyun’s phone and reads the text. His eyes widened and he looks up at both elders.

“Chanyeol’s….alive?”

Junmyeon’s face changes from being devoid of emotion to being full of shock. He rushes over to Tao and reads the text for himself. His eyes start watering up and he uses his sleeves to wipe them dry.

“Sehun isn’t lying. Is he?” No one answers Tao. At the moment, no one knows what to do anymore. Baekhyun looks at Junmyeon and sees that his eyes have changed as well. His composure is back to how it was before the incident, strong and proud.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out. We should go to Arizona.”

Baekhyun smiles. Their leader is back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! Sorry I don't get to update often. School has been killing me recently. Don't worry. I'm starting on Chapter 3. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this.


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